Jihad in My Saffron Garden
Author- Roxy Arora
Publisher- Prabhat Prakashan, Rs350
At a time when India and Pakistan are going through the most difficult times comes Roxy Arora’s Jihad in My Saffron Garden. It’s a romantic thriller that underlines compassion, friendship and love in the Valley, as well as celebrates patriotism
At a time when India and Pakistan are going through the most trying of times, comes Roxy Arora’s Jihad in My Saffron Garden. The novella is set in Kashmir and revolves around characters, both Hindu and Muslim, and how their internal dynamics are influenced by the social and political fabric of the turbulent Valley. It is a romantic thriller that underlines all feelings of compassion, friendship and love in the Valley as well as celebrates patriotism. The book was recently launched in Delhi in the presence of Hindi filmmaker, Anurag Kashyap.
Arora, who is also a dental surgeon expressed that communal conflicts in Jammu and Kashmir are what triggered the idea for the book in her. She wanted to narrate the stories of people who would often be caught in the vicious cycle of instability.
Jihad in My Saffron Garden is the tale of Roshina Kapoor and Aafaq Qazmi. It is the pre-insurgency era, and they are confidantes, regardless of the different religions they hail from. But as luck would have it, they have to go through a series of crucial tests to survive the worst, if they could at all. These uncertainties not only make the novella thrilling but also presses the reader to think beyond religious markers and accept each other unconditionally.
Arora has spent summer vacations in the Valley as well as has been privy to people’s plight in war zones and also to mass exodus as she and her family also had to escape Kuwait after Saddam Hussein invaded it. Her real life experiences render the fictional account authenticity and evoke sentiments of empathy and anger that are universal.
Dedicating the book to the Indian Armed Forces at the launch, Arora said that she was also inspired by the works of Robert ludlum. The novella attempts to portray the circumstances in Kashmir while recalling the peaceful days of yore and asking if the past could now be ever revisited. In the same spirit, we see protagonist Roshina strive to bring back the peace and intense beauty the region was known for. As she laments, “I was coming back to my Motherland in circumstances I had never anticipated. I had fled with a burqa on, and I now returned wearing the same black cloth. WhyIJ Because our leaders, irrespective of religion don’t have the guts to snatch a rifle out of the hands of a fanatic. There are so many other lucrative scams to reckon with. Why bother with human mortalitiesIJ”
The novella is as much about the political climate as it is about the youths, their friendships and a universal sense of camaraderie. It begins with Roshina’s perspective as she tries to fit into an ambience that is dominated by her religious ‘other’; who considers her a kafir, a non-believer. it documents her sentiments of belonging, losing and then returning to what she holds dear. As she says at a point in the story, “I feel a buoyancy which I have not felt in years and there is a spring in my step. The courage and determination which ‘Time’ stole, is back with me, its rightful owner.”
However, the book takes time to grow on the readers. At the beginning, the narrative sounds like a rant by a disillusioned Roshina but gradually it builds up to more action in the story.
Arora also comes across as a supporter of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA). It becomes apparent that she wants to convey that the military has been misunderstood in Kashmir. The Army is described in patriotic colours. The author has also tried to maintained balance between the content and the way she narrates it in. At the same time though, there may be moments when the readers might find it difficult to sustain their interests in the work but for a light read, this novella might serve its purpose.
